Current Projects

Victim Blame

Legal decision-making in relation to sexual assault is often influenced by shared social beliefs (schemas). In investigating these beliefs, prior research has confounded different schemas – offence prototypes, sexual script schemas and victim and perpetrator stereotypes. It is unclear which schemas are influential and when, making it difficult to reduce the impact of such extra-legal factors. Our research will identify the key schemas, and advance social cognitive theory by demonstrating through a multi-method approach with police and community members when and how these particular schemas influence decision-making. We will also test two ways to reduce the influence of these extra-legal factors to promote a fairer legal system. Read more…

Student Attrition

Student attrition and retention is a major issue of concern in first year classes within the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences. First year attrition in some programs is very high (e.g., Bachelor of Social Work and the Bachelor of Social Science approximately 30%) and signals that the first year experience may not be optimal. Possible contributors to attrition are student identity, attitudes, norms, and control beliefs. This project will examine how these constructs contribute to students’ intention to remain enrolled at university and also assess the impact of particular examples of high-impact learning within different Schools in the Faculty on identity and retention. Read more…

Stress and Groups

Stress in the workplace is an increasingly costly problem, both in terms of money and psychological impact. Current understanding of coping responses to stress are based on the study of day-to-day stressors experienced by individuals. This approach fails to take into account the role of group processes which may explain the inconclusive results of the coping literature to date. This research integrate a general stress and coping framework with and group perspective to: (1) identify the type and effectiveness of social support given in response to fire-related stressors; and (2) examine the impact of group processes on the effectiveness of social support. Read more…

Stereotypes in the Courtroom

Research has shown that for certain types of crimes, defendants from specific ethic backgrounds are more likely to be found guilty when compared to defendants from other backgrounds. This is reflected in an over-representation of certain minority groups in the Australian prison system. This research aims to determine whether gender- and race-based stereotypes influence jurors’ judgements; whether the influence of stereotypes survives jury deliberation; and whether requiring jurors to reach only a majority decision increases the impact of stereotypes on their verdicts. It is expected that this will lead to a better understanding of when juries are functioning in a fair and unbiased manner, thereby promoting a fairer legal system for all. Read more…

Recruiting and Retaining Apheresis Donors

Despite an emerging theory-based Australian literature on whole blood donation, there is no local and only scant international literature on how to effectively recruit and retain voluntary non-remunerated plasma and platelet (apheresis) donors. Using an augmented Theory of Planned Behaviour framework, this research will assess the role of donor identity and commitment in predicting whole-blood donor conversion to apheresis donation and apheresis donor retention. The final stage of this research will comprise a field intervention study designed to optimise apheresis donor recruitment and retention. Identifying the predictors of apheresis donation will assist in the provision of this vital service to Australian health care providers. Read more…

Overcoming the Impact of Anxiety for Would-Be Donors

Donor recruitment is an ongoing challenge to blood collection agencies worldwide. Within the recruitment literature anxiety centring on the process and paraphernalia of phlebotomy has frequently been suggested as a key deterrent to non-donors. However, to date, anxiety has only been examined within the recruitment literature as an emotion that can rationally be expected to be experienced if the respondent were to present to donate blood.In contrast, we propose that when anxious arousal is experienced by would-be donors it has an immediate, arguably non-rational, effect on decision-making by making blood donation an affectively ‘hot’ behaviour.Further, drawing on an established body of literature, we propose that non-donors in affectively ‘cold’ contexts where blood donation paraphernalia are not present are unable to accurately predict their reactions in terms of their positive orientation, self-efficacy, intention to donate and donation behaviour if such paraphernalia were present. That is, they experience an empathy gap. Based on our previous research, the proposed study will assess whether (1) the presence of blood donation paraphernalia in a field setting induces anxiety in non-donors which results in a decrease in their self-efficacy, intention to donate, and blood donation behaviour, and (2) this decrease can be ‘corrected’ using specially-designed blood donation recruitment brochures. Read more…

Just Spaces

Criminal defendants around the world are increasingly being placed in glass-framed docks, or even cages, in the courtroom. Courts in Australia, Europe and the US have found that the right to a fair trial can be jeopardised by this practice. This project, for the first time, tests this important claim under experimental conditions. It develops protocols for human rights compliant courtrooms, taking advantage of new wireless technologies that permit flexible furniture arrangements and customised security measures. Read more…

Jury Directions

Jury directions are provided to jurors by a judge at the end of a trial. These directions outline the law, which jurors are supposed to follow in order to reach a verdict. It is well-documented that jurors have difficulty understanding the law provided in these directions, and that simplifying these directions can improve their understanding. As a result, legal systems are currently focused on simplifying directions, in order to increase the likelihood of reaching a legally correct verdict. However, the extent to which jurors’ actually use the directions is unclear. Our research will investigate whether simplified directions enhance jurors’ use of the directions to reach their verdicts. In doing so, we will also examine the effect of simplified directions on group decision-making processes. Read more…

Expert Testimony

This project fills a void of empirical information on expert evidence in Australia. This inter-state, multidisciplinary project involving academics from psychology and law aims to provide an evidence-based and comprehensive account of lawyers’ responses to expert evidence and information about expert witnesses’ experiences of giving evidence in criminal trials. By undertaking a comprehensive study of how the main protagonists in a criminal jury trial think about and understand expert evidence we may be able to identify the cause of any shortcomings in the criminal jury system. The project will focus on measures that translate into practical outcomes for policy reform, including the development of best practice guidelines for experts. Read more…